Inserting a cloth insert into a rayon cake before fluid treatment



INVENTOR oezt I/evaalta' 1?@ Jeraf, 'fr'. BY MW ATTORNEY CAKE BEFORE FLUID TREATMENT Flled July 27, 1949 filly R. V. DE VAULT ET AL INSERTING A CLOTH INSERT INTO A RAYON July 14, 1953 Patented July 14, 1953 IN SERTING A CLOTH INSERT IN TO A RAYON CAKE BEFORE FLUID TREATMENT Robert V. De Vault and Ray J. Echerd, Jr., Asheville, N. C., assignors to American Enka Corporation, Enka, N. C., a corporation of Delaware Application July 27, 1949, Serial No. 107,128

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to a method of and apparatus for preparing freshly spun cakes of rayon for aftertreatments and more particularly to an expansible member that can be inserted readily into viscose rayon cakes as a protection during subsequent handling involving liquid aftertreatments and re-winding during the coning operation.

Normally freshly spun cakes of rayon are either subjected to a lacing operation such as shown in U. S. Patent No. 1,988,778 or to a socking operation such as that shown in U. S. Patent No. 2,418,657. Both of these systems are more or less complicated and time consuming. The present method employing the device to be hereinafter described is simpler than that of the former patent and more efficient than that of the latter one.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method of `furnishing adequate protection to the inside of a freshly spun viscose rayon cake during liquid aftertreatments such as the washing and bleaching treatments normally employed.

A further object of this invention is to insert an expansible member into the inside of an acid rayon cake immediately after formation thereof and subject the cake to liquid pressure treatments, dry the cake without removing the insert and unwind the yarn on a coning machine after providing an additional support for the cake and insert.

It is another object of this invention to provide `a novel type of expansible insert to be employed in the method here involved.

It is also contemplated to provide a novel type support that coacts with the expansible insert during the coning operation.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the expansible insert in an uncoiled condition;

Figure 2 is a perspective View of a cake in which the insert has been inserted and expanded;

Figure 3 is a perspective view in partial section of the cake positioned on a support after it has been subjected to the necessary aftertreatments Iand dried, and is in readiness for unwinding on a coning machine;

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the plate portion of the support during coning; 'and Figure 5 is a perspective view of the top portion of the support.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to Figure 1, the numeral II) indicates a generally rectangular insert made of a suitable liquid permeable material such as preshrunk cotton cloth. Sewed into the top and bottom marginal edges of this insert are flexible metal spring wires II and I2 constructed of a high grade stainless steel.

This insert I0 can Ibe introduced into cake i3, either manually or by a simple device that will retain the insert in a coiled state'of smaller diameter than the inside of the cake I3 until the insert has been pulled therethrough and expanded around the inside of the cake. The Width of the insert is greater than the height of the cake, so that the tendency of the metallic wires I i and i2 to return to their uncoiled position will cause the top and bottom of the insert to be expanded over the top and bottom inside edges of the cake in the manner shown in Figure 2.

In providing inserts for the freshly spun acid cakes in the above manner; adequate protection is furnished to the loosely formed convolutions at the inside of the cakes during subsequent liquid pressure treatments, because substantially no washing down of the inner convolutions, particularly at the edges of the cakes, results. Moreover, the inserts furnish protection during the physical handling of the cakes incident to transferring them to diiTerent treatment stations.

The insert per se is the subject matter of the sole invention of Robert V. De Vault, covered by application Serial No. 249,955, filed September 10, 1951.

IReferring now to Figures 3 to 5 inclusive, after the cake has been. properly aftertreated and dried, it is in readiness for re-winding on a coning machine. The cake I3, having the insert I0 retained therein, is placed on a plate I4 in such a way that the bottom wire of the insert is pressed into a circular recess I5 provided in the support. This recess locks the bottom wire of the insert around the bottom edge of the cake and prevents further expansion of the wire during the latter stages of unwinding as a result of the tendency of the wire to uncoil. A combination cap I5 and plug I1 is then inserted into the top of the cake. The cap I 6 is provided With a circular recess I8 similar to recess I5 to receive and lock the top wire against outward movement and thereby coacts with the bottom recess in preventing distortion of the inner convolutions. In this way the insert fits snugly over `and around the top and bottom inner edges of the cake, and the grooved recesses I5 and I8 prevent the yarn from tangling during the latter stages of unwinding. The plug portion Il s tapered to conform with the inside diameter of the cake and is of such depth as to cause it to t tightly against the insert around the entire area thereof.

The cap I6 is preferably constructed of transparent material such as Lucite (a methacrylate) which enables the operator to determine when an insert is in place properly and when the cake is being unwound Without displacement or entanglement.

This application is a continuation-in-part of our application Serial No. 105,428, led July 18, 1949, noW abandoned. Since the filing of said application it has been determined that in the unwinding of certain types of rayon, particularly deniers of less than 300, it is only necessary to lock the insert I at one point, e. g., at either the top or bottom. In that case either the recess I in plate Ill or the recess I3 in cap I6 can be eliminated. For ease of manipulation cn the coning machine, it appears to be preferable to provide a plain supporting plate and a recessed cap. Apparently locking the insert at the tcp` serves to prevent objectionable expansion of the inner convolutions during the latter stages of unwinding. Moreover, other means of locking the insert against expansion may be used such as a hook and eye arrangement fastened to each end respectively of the insert.

It is apparent from the above that the yarn can be aftertreated (purified) and re-Wound with a minimum of Waste, because the insert substantially eliminates Washing down of the inner edges of the loosely formed convolutions or rayon and the support prevents any entanglement ci the yarn, particularly at the top` and bottom, which may cause uneven delivery to the cone and possible damage or breakage of the yarn thereby.

Summarizing, the method of the invention of aftertreating freshly spun cakes of rayon by radial liquid flow of aftertreatment fluid under pressure,

consists essentially of covering exclusively the inside surface, the top and bottom inside edges and a portion of the top and bottom surface of the cake With a, liquid permeable expansible cloth insert; of applying substantially radially outward tension to the outside edges of the insert to impose tension on the inside surface and inside edges of the cake; of fluid treating and drying the cake with the insert in place; of locking the insert against further expansion during the latter stages of unvvinding and of unwinding the cake.

What is claimed is:

In a method of aftertreating freshly spun cakes of rayon by radial liquid flow of aftertreatment fluids under pressure, the steps which consist essentially of covering exclusively the inside surface, the top` and bottom inside edges and a portion of the top and bottom surface with a liquid permeable eXpansible cloth insert; applying substantially radially outward tension to the outside edges of the insert to impose tension on the inside surface and the inside edges of the cake; fluid treating and drying the cake with the insert in place; locking the insert against further eXpansion during the latter stages of un'vvindirig and unwinding the cake.

ROBERT V. DE VAULT. RAY J. ECHERD, JR.

References Cited in the le Of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,688,702 Gladdings Oct. 23, 1928 1,904,377 Lockhart Apr. 18, 1933 2,002,481 Gordon May 21, 1935 2,091,334 Reich Aug. 31, 1937 2,091,725 W'hte et al Allg. 31, 1937 2,141,610 Little Dec. 27, 1938 2,192,111 Vlasac Feb. 27, 1940 2,382,400 Decker et al Aug. 14, 1945 

